


Angels and Demons

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angels and Demons AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After bumping into a long-lost companion in the woods, chaos ensues for the young angel Jake English.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> wow uncreative title much
> 
> anyways. written for a dear friend arien's au.
> 
> more tags, characters, etc to be added as the story progresses. 
> 
> also ignore the indents. ao3 won't let them happen

The first though in Jake English's head when he glanced around the mortal world was something along the lines of, 'This doesn't look at all like it used to!' He craned his neck, looking as far up as he could see, blinking and quickly bringing a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright glare of the sun overhead. 'Exactly how long was I doing that paperwork for?' Jake mused to himself as he stepped of a raised pathway made out of some gritty grey material, onto a smoother, black path, this one much wider than the other. He wiggled his bare toes on it, confused as to what exactly it was made of. Out of nowhere, something blasted a loud - rather obnoxious, he thinks in hindsight - noise into his ear, and his wings flapped as he reeled backwards, something rushing past him, the noise following it. He caught his balance, but the mysterious object was already gone. He shook it off, wings ruffling with his movement, and turned, jogging off the grey pathway and into the more-familiar woods. There was no path that Jake followed, at least no human-tread one. He ambled between trees, arms crossed in front of his chest, head angled towards the ground, his eyes open but not quite focused on anything. His wings sat limp, curled slightly around his shoulders. Thoughts spiraled around his head at lightspeed. The trees and dense undergrowth around him blurred as his eyes unfocused on his surroundings, his mind's eye spinning backwards to the last time he was in the mortal world. 

  
_It was a rainy day, I'm sure of that much. It was a big storm, actually, there were flashes of lightning and the thunder was really loud. I think I was in some sort of field. Yeah, a field! There wasn't anyone around, so I just stood there for a while. I was waiting for something - no, someone. I was sent there to meet up with another angel, something about passing on some sort of message. I don't remember what the message was about. Something to do with a rogue angel? Yeah, something like that. It must've had something to do with --_

  
Jake was suddenly yanked out of his thoughts as he slammed into something. He stumbled backwards, almost catching his balance. His arms pinweeled, his wings flapped, and he was almost upright when his heel caught a rock. He yelped and everything slowed down for a moment. His eyes were wide, and the leaves overhead inched by as they grew further away. In an instant, everything sped back up and Jake crashed to the ground, the impact knocking off his glasses. As if a switch was flipped, the entire world went blurry, colors bleeding together and swimming in front of his eyes. He laid there on the ground, dazed, his arms thrown out and legs splayed, wings cramped uncomfortably. Someone chuckled above him, and a vagely flesh-colored shape hovered over him, a blurry shape extended out from the mass of color. Suspecting it was a hand, Jake reached up and grasped it, hoisting himself up. Jake blinked and squinted, rubbing his eyes, frowning. He knelt down and ran his hands along the ground, searching for his glasses. He flinched away from a nudge on his shoulder, and when he was handed his glasses, his cheeks flushed. Jake slid them on and stood up, glaring at the stranger.

  
"Watch where you're going," he muttered, still slightly irritated. The stranger chuckled once more, and Jake's heart jumped into his throat when he noticed the sharp, angular face and the dark triangle-shaped shades. He took a quick step backwards, the face instantly clicking into place. He drew a sharp breath and stared through wide eyes at the face of the demon that saved his life the last time he had been in the mortal world - the demon that had him confined to the paperwork for all these years. He narrowed his eyes and hissed out his name, the sound leaving a warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach, lined with bittersweet and anger.

  
"Dirk Strider."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize in advance for any errors, i don't have an editor or anything at it's the middle of the night so yeah

Crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one foot, the blonde demon smirked and tilted his head, silently appraising the angel. "You look older, Jake. How long has it been since the last time we met?" Jake crossed his arms in reply and kept his mouth firmly shut, eye narrowed against the flooding of old memories that threatened to pour out through curses and fisticuffs. He ruffled his wings and half-turned away, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, English? Gonna say something, or am I gonna have to make you talk?" Dirk's voice was heavy with his accent, and Jake knew that tone well enough to know that the demon meant business. In a gruff tone, the angel shot a glare at the demon and shot back a few choice words. "Spending a few centuries behind mountains of paperwork for disorderly conduct does age oneself," he added the last two words with venom, "old chap." Dirk grimaced dramatically and then grinned. "Aw, come on, Jake, don't be like that." He chuckled cockily and stepped closer to the angel, who held his ground bravely. "You and I both know neither of us regret a single moment back then." 

Jake frowned and pulled away. "Speak for yourself, Strider. I, for one, don't particularly remember enjoying nearly dying much." He turned and faced the demon head-on, his insides squirming as their faces neared within a few inches of touching. "I don't care to remember much else." He snarled, forcing as much venom into the words as he possibly could. Dirk stepped back and put his hands up, a snarky grin plastered across his face. "Whoa, English, no need to snap at me like that. Hell, I saved your life." He stood up straight, looking down at the angel with a small smile. "Anyways, I was just messing with you. How're things up past the Pearly Gates?" Jake calmly gave the demon the middle finger and resumed his crossed-arms position. "You know I'm not allowed to talk about the going-ons of up There," he muttered, "especially not with the likes of you." He bit his lip at the tiny flinch that flashed across the demon's face; he remembered that expression all too well.

_It couldn't have been more than a moment after Dirk revived me, because he was so close to me when I opened my eyes. It's the only thing that I remember so clearly after all these years, the expression on his face when I pushed him out of the way and ran off. I don't think I'll ever forget that look._

The angel rolled his eyes and huffed. "Sorry, Dirk. I guess there's just a lot of mixed-up emotions in my head." He forced himself to smile. "Even a few hundred years couldn't solve that." Jake ruffled his wings again and looked up at the blonde, almost sighing in relief at the playful grin that his face held. "It's cool, English. It's not like we last saw each other on great terms, either." The angel smiled and took another step back. "Well, I should be going. I don't want to get caught with you again. They might take my wings for that." Jake grimaced at the thought; going back to being a lowly slave to the other angels? Horrible. He'd already earned his wings once, there was no need for him to do it again. 

"Jake." Dirk put a hand on the angel's shoulder. "Hey. Don't go just yet. We have a few centuries to catch up on. Anyways, They won't notice you're missing for a little bit." The demon's iron grip forced Jake to step towards him, but Jake didn't give it any resistance. Though he would never admit it, the fire that once burned in his heart for the demon was slowly starting to heat up again. 

"Walk with me for a bit." Dirk said, dropping his hand. Jake shrugged and mumbled a something that vaguely sounded like an agreement and ruffled his wings, following the demon's footsteps and falling into step next to him with ease, as if it were almost second nature. They walked in silence for a little while, Dirk every so often glancing over at Jake. While the angel didn't exactly notice Dirk looking down at him, he was certainly aware that something of the sort was happening. The path they followed was less of a path and more of a dried-up riverbed, but it was nice to walk without having to weave and duck around and under tree branches, nothenless. Jake was slowly losing himself to his thoughts again when a nudge against his hand brought him back to the world.

He tried not to react as Dirk slowly, carefully wove his fingers through the angel's like they used to, and the rush of tingling that sped up Jake's arm sent his head spinning. The odd feeling of Dirk's hand always took him by surprise. It seemed burning hot, but it was bearable in the sense that instead of emitting heat, his skin gave off a faint tingling. Jake looked at Dirk and smiled a bit, his cheeks flushing ever-so-slightly. "So, about this catching up thing," He said softly, trying not to ruin the moment. "Yeah. How have the years been treating you, Jake?" Dirk's voice was pleasant, almost giddy from what Jake suspected was being around a past lover. Jake grinned up at the demon. "Oh, you know, the sa -"

Midword, his foot caught on a root and he fell facefirst, his wings flapping and arms pinwheeling. Way to ruin it, knucklehead, he thought angrily, lying with his face smushed into the underbrush. "Jake! You alright?" Dirk sounded slightly worried, but mostly he sounded like he was trying to hold in a laugh. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I'm f-"

Once again, he was cut off midword, but this time by Dirk Strider's lips pressing themselves gently against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at writing things omg don't even look at me.


	3. Chapter 3

When the demon's lips met his own, Jake flinched away ever-so-slightly for a moment, his mind clouding with doubts. As soon as Dirk's hand cupped the side of his face, however, his doubts faded away as fast as they had come and his eyes slipped shut. His mind blanked out, overwhelmed by the sudden rush that kissing his past lover sent shooting through his veins. Bracing a hand gently against the demon's chest, Jake pulled back a fraction of an inch, looking at Dirk. His face was flushing and his breathing was slightly unsteady, but Jake looked at Dirk and spoke steadily. "We can't do this, Dirk. Not again." He frowed a bit and ran his thumb over the curve of the blonde's cheekbone. "As much as you and I both want to, I can't risk everything again. Not after I got caught last time." An involuntary shiver ran down his back at the thought of getting caught again. 

"Jake, please. I... I can't just let you go this time. I need you. I want you." The demon could barely put together a sentence without his voice wavering. Jake's throat constricted at the pure hurt that he could hear in Dirk's voice, and he sighed softly. "Dirk, I..." He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to put the words together. When they did come out, they were said with an air of nostalgia, but they were colored with thick bravery and want. "I still love you." A small smile graced the demon's face and he leaned forward again, this time simply wrapping his arms around the angel, his arms slipping under Jake's wings with an ease that comes from plenty of practice. Jake returned the embrace and buried his face in the demon's shoulder, breathing in the so-familiar scent of ash and fresh-cut wood, of lavender and a tiny hint of eucalyptus. The two stayed curled together like that, Jake somehow propped against the blonde, his face in Dirk's shoulder and Dirk's face in his hair.

With their legs tangled together, the two lay still for what felt like an hour. Their breaths mingled together, and after a little while, Dirk slowly stopped hugging Jake. Bright green-gold eyes met dark, dusky orange, and even through Dirk's ridiculous scalene shades, Jake felt his piercing gaze dig deep into his mind and take hold. The embers that he had buried in his heart long ago burst into flame and he grabbed Dirk's head and kissed him, hard.

It wasn't a story-book kiss, exactly, but more of a heated, firey crushing-together of lips, a clashing of two very different beings - one that came from Above and one from Below. But oh, how Jake loved it. The taboo, the thrill, it was addicting to him, but Dirk Strider was the underlying drug. The demon, who had long-ago staked his claim to Jake's heart, had occupied most of Jake's thoughts, day after wretched day. From what Jake could tell from his hungry kissing, Dirk had gone through the same. The blonde's hands crept up, cupping the angel's cheek, his thumb rubbing slow circles across his cheekbone, the other on the back of Jake's head, knotting themselves into his hair.

Their kisses slowly dissolved into a more languid sort of making out; not hungry, but not quite tired either. Their hands slowly ran up and down what was reachable of the other's body, exploring with careful fingers what they had missed for two centuries. They went on like this for a while, sprawled in the dirt, paying no attention to the clumps that clung to their hair or clothes. Eventually the two ended up laying side-by side on the ground, looking up at the sky. Dirk's shades lay folded up next to Jake's glasses, the two abandoned long-ago along with their eyes, in favor of seeing eachother up-close with their hands and mouths. Their hands sat on the ground between them, their fingers twined together, fitting perfectly as if they were made to be together (which Jake was fairly sure they were).

"Dirk?" Jake said softly, turning to look at the blonde. Dirk made a small noise in response, turning towards the angel and smiling a bit. "We should probably go somewhere soon. After all, who knows what roams these woods at night." Dirk glanced up and seeing the orange-red tint on the sky, muttered his approval and slowly stood up, helping Jake up as well. Jake shook out his wings, Dirk chuckling as he ran his hands through his own unruly hair, both of them dislodging dirt particles. "I know just the place we can go." Dirk took Jake's hand once again and led him once again through the woods. Jake had no idea where he was going, or what would even happen once they got there, but for once, he didn't mind. After all, it was hard to care about little things like that when you see your lover for the first time in over two centuries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i literally pulled this chapter out of my ass at 11 pm. forgive me for any glaring errors, i am tired as shit and need sleep. also, there may or may not be other things happening in the next chapter. *winkwonk*


	4. Chapter 4

By the time the pair had reached their destination, it was dark. Jake squinted, barely able to make out a dark shape looming in front of him. He bit his lip, eyes darting around, his stomach roiling. His thoughts rumbled around his head at a million miles an hour, the final pieces of his plot falling into place. Dirk nudged him forwards gently, and Jake stepped forward, barely muffling a squeak of surprise as the cabin door swings open in front of them. Like he took a sucker punch to the stomach, Jake immediately recoils from the cabin as a wave of memories threaten to swamp him.

_It's the cabin, the one that we stayed in all this time. How did he keep it so nice? Never mind that I can't stay here, they'll look for me here. I need to go, get out, somehow. I can't go in there, what if they've put someone or something there? I can't risk it. Need to get out but how? How do I get away from him? Hit him? I can't do that. I need to get away from here, away from this. I can't risk everything for him again, not after last time. Need to get away how just run I can't run push him away or something pretend to need a moment and make a run for it yes -_

"Jake?" Without realizing it, his breathing had become rapid, and he stood frozen, staring with wide eyes at the interior of the cabin. "You okay?" Jake shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Dirk, trying to play cool but the panic and fear in his eyes giving him away. "I- I need a minute..." he weezed out, walking a few feet away and sitting down on a weathered stump that he had somehow seen in the light leaking out from the doorway. "Alright, don't be too long. Wouldn't want you to get eaten alive out here." Dirk muttered and walked inside, leaving the angel alone with his thoughts and the tension and anxiety making is limbs taunt as a bowstring. 

He counted to one hundred just to be safe, before standing up as silently as he could and briskly walking to the edge of the clearing. Jake took one steadying breath before half-extending his wings and starting off through the trees as fast as he could, his wings catching some of the air that rushed past him and allieviating the pressure on his feet, until he was barely doing more than pushing off the ground as he sped along, weaving and ducking between trees with preciseness and agility Jake didn't know he had. All too soon, a familiar voice caused him to stop short, chills running up and down his spine.

"Where ya goin' angel?" A rough voice crooned. It was all Jake could do not to flinch. Another voice accompanied the first, somewhat smoother than the first but still rougher than Dirk's. "Ain't you the scrawny, pathetic one that broke my bro's heart?" The two eldest Striders, Dave and the one Dirk had only referred to (almost reverently) as Bro. The two highest-up in the Underworld. 

"It isn't any of your business where I'm going, neither is it of mine where you are." Jake almost winced at how weak and shaky his voice sounded when it came out. "Gettin' mouthy ain't the best idea, kid." Bro chuckled, and Jake narrowed his eyes. "Leave me alone," he forced out through gritted teeth, "or I'll-" He was cut off suddenly as all the wind left his lungs in one huge _whoomph_ , as Dave barrelled into his chest, slamming him to the ground. His vision spun into blur as his glasses were kicked off. Jake heard them rebound off what sounded like a rock, and then he yelped as a foot drove into his stomach. Fists rained down on his head, chest, stomach, and he thrashed under the weight of the smaller demon. 

His vision started to go black around the edges, his wings feebly wiggling, half-pinned under his body, and he arched his back and screeched as one of the two Striders - he couldn't tell them apart anymore through the blood dripping down his face and into his eyes - took one of them into his hands and bent the fragile bones. Jake stilled as the hollow snap echoed through his mind. It was only a millisecond before it was followed by soul-searing agony, and Jake opened his mouth, gutteral screams ripping themselves from his throat. 

It was at this moment that he heard a shout from a very familiar voice, the weight left his chest, and he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gomen for the sads. after all i did say there was gonna be something happening. i never said it would be nice.


	5. Chapter 5

Being dead was odd. It wasn't like when he was travelling to the Heavens, no. That was pleasant and bright and cheery. This was something much worse, something he'd only heard about from other angels to scare him into watching his back. It was said that if an angel fought a demon and lost, the demon couldn't take such a pure soul - instead, the soul was forced into a sort of limbo, not Living and not in the Underworld or Heavens. This limbo was dark, darker than he could ever have imagined something to be. It was as if molasses clung to his limbs and four-hundred-pound weights were strapped to his thoughts, forcing his very being to slow down until he felt every spark of his brain, every single twitch of his skin and split of his cells. It was excruciating. It was being made and unmade all at once, his mind picking apart the corners of itself, but yet a stranger, more abstract thought pattern weaving into its place.

It was certainly very strange, like nothing he had ever witnessed. Sometimes, he could hear a voice calling his name. He didn't know whose voice it was, exactly, but he did know that without the voice, he would surely go insane. The voice was the one thing that anchored him here, to this odd limbo between Living and Moved On, to this strange thing called being 'DEAD'. Sometimes he could conjure up people, faces he feels like he knows but they don't look like anyone he remembers. Actually, he can't remember much of anything. It's strange, how sudden bits and pieces will come to him, sporadically. He remembers things in moments, suspended in time, sort of like he was just now, he supposed.

_Jake..._

There was the voice again. It echoed through his head, and he brushed it off, dismisses it as another memory fragment come back to sit like a singular puzzle piece in his mind. Alone it didn't say much of anything besides a few colors and maybe a word or two, but all together they told a story of the life he had before he went Here. He didn't exactly know _how_ he got here, not really, but he did know that he was Here now and to be quite frank, he didn't care about being anywhere else. 

_Jake..._

He felt something odd, like someone or something had a grasp on his head and was slowly turning it around. It wasn't quite painful, no, it was more of a mind-numbing sensation. It was startling, like being dunked into cold water, but yet pleasant, like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, fresh from the dryer. He felt almost as if he were a feather being whisked through the air not really there but somehow, inexplicably _there._

Like a gunshot to the head, he felt his hands, feet, legs, arms, chest, head - everything that he had succumbed to the molasses of Here - and he wasn't There anymore, he was _breathing_ , there was _air_ in his lungs and he could smell the pine the grass the dirt and everything was there and suddenly he was _Alive_ but suddenly it was too much and a drill drove into his head, rattling his brains 'round in his skull and _everything hurt._

"Jake? Oh god, Jake, you're alright, you're ok..."

The voice was strong this time and it was the only thing that didn't hurt, and it soothed the pain, and there was pressure on him, someone was hugging him and he barely had the strength to move but he opened his eyes because he _knew that voice, dammit_ and he wasn't going to give up, he had to _fight won't give up_ and he blinked back the light and he saw a face he knew but couldn't place, and he felt a smile growing on his dry, cracked lips, and he knew that face but he didn't know _just whose it was_ and then everything went black and -

Jake was back Here, so suddenly that his head spun.

If he thought being Here was bad before, now it was a thousand times worse. This time being Here wasn't peaceful. This time he could remember everything about who he was, what he left behind, even the tiniest things that he never would have remembered were coming back up. He remembered the way his fingers skated across his chest, leaving behind tiny trails of warmpth, and how he could feel his arms around him until he fell asleep, and how the both of them woke up in the morning tangled together. He could remember exactly how his smile looked and exactly how his laugh sounded, how his arms felt when they held him close and protected him from the mortal world.

He knew all of these things and more, so much more. He remembered the screams of his mother to -

_Run get out! GO! Hurry! Take him with you, get out before they come for you! You must leave now! Hurry, run! Go! I love you, so much, more than you could ever know. Goodbye, my sweet a-_

He could rember the way her voice cut off as a thick **bang!** echoed around him, and he remembered how his knees buckled and his limbs turned to jello, how the flames licked up along his body and it didn't hurt, no, he welcomed the pain - anything to stop the grief that swallowed him whole like a quicksand pit. He remembered how everything went red and faded to a bright gold, how the world around him faded to golden and the pain left him, how everything was numb and then he was alright, he was with her, and she was smiling and holding her hand out for him an he ran to her with his arms spread wide and - 

_she wasn't there_

Because he was Here and she was There.

_Jake..._

It was his voice, the voice he hadn't heard since Here swallowed him whole again, and just hearing it set ablaze the fire in his heart with such heat that it melted the molasses around him and he kicked, he pinwheeled his arms, he struggled to the surface of Here and light errupted around him and the world came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks; he gasped for air and blinked away tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes and the voice was right in his ear, his voice, and his face was right there, and

he was there

Because Jake was _alive_ , and he was _breathing_ and there was a name on his lips and _everything is ok_ -

"Dirk..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow long chapter hahah  
> i promise it's happier in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

"Jake? Oh my god, Jake, I thought I lost you. I thought you had left me." Jake was in Dirk's arms, limp, but his eyes wide open, tears forming at the corners. His cracked, dry lips were parted slightly but no noise came out, his body exhausted and teetering on the edge of conciousness. His breath rasped through a sandpaper throat and his eyes started to slide shut. This wasn't There calling him back, no, this was a more gentle voice calling out to him, one he welcomed with open arms. Warm in the demon's arms, Jake fell asleep listening to his voice.

Jake opened his eyes again after what seemed only an moment, and he instantly realized he had been moved. Instead of being on the ground in the woods like he was before, Jake lay on a soft bed, a sheet tucked around him, and a warm orange-yellow glow lighting the room. He made a soft noise and Dirk, who was seated beside him, isntantly stood up and knelt by his side, clutching one of the angel's trembling hands in his strong ones. The demon stayed absolutely still, his eyes boring straight into Jake's, reading a thousand words that the angel could never say. Dirk took a deep breath and looked down briefly before meeting Jake's eyes again.

"I was so worried there, Jake. I thought you were gone, I- I thought I would never see you again and I would have to live with the thought of never seeing you again, never hearing your voice or your laugh, and that made a little part of me die inside. I-" He took another, slower breath, blinking back tears that threatened to spill out of his eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." He fumbled for words, "Is..." He took another deep breath, and the words began spilling out.

"Fuck, okay. Here. Let's try it this way. Jake, I love you so much, and I wish I could tell you that all the time because you are perfect to me. Perfect. Like capitolized, underlined, bold print perfect. There's just no other way to say it. I love everything about you, and..." He paused for a moment, searching for the phrases to say what he meant. "I love you for your strength, I've never met anyone who could keep his own and support himself like you can. I love that. I admire that. I love you for your gentle, caring nature. I love the fact that everything I give to you - my affection, my thoughts, and even my love - you give yours. It's perfect. Sweet. I love it. I love you for your silliness. Your jokes, your puns, and that cute little noise you make when you drop something, and how you flap your hands even though you have wings when something startles you. You just in general, I can't help but just love you. You. All of you.

"I love the way your eyes sparkle and light up when you smile, I love the sound of your laugh and even if you hate it, I think it's adorable. I love the way your hair sticks up in the morning and the stupid faces you make when you yawn. I love every single bit about you, the stupid way you try to roll your eyes and you can't and you end up just looking like you're choking, I love every last bit of you. I love you so much emotionally and mentally and I love you a thousand times, to the sun and back with a bonus of just you. I love your face, your hands, your arms, your legs, your feet, and especially that shit-eating grin you always have. 

"I love you more than the moon and the sun and the stars and back, I love you -" Jake reached up with his free hand and softly pressed his hand against Dirk's mouth. "I love you too, you big sissy." Dirk stayed absolutely still, his eyes wide, for a split second, before he gathered Jake up in a hug, his arms saying all the words that his lips couldn't. Jake ruffled his wings and clung to Dirk like a child, the tears that had been gathering as Dirk had rambled on soon spilling over his cheeks and dampening the demon's shirt.

The two ended up curling up together on the small bed, Jake's face against Dirk's chest, their fingers twined together and legs tangled. Dirk laid there, listening to the angel's steady breathing and inhaling the scent of his hair, just happy to be there, with Jake, after all these years.

The angel and demon were asleep like this two hours later when Dave and Bro found them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dirk's rant loosely based off of a Skype log between derskingdom.tumblr.com and dancinghomestuckforever.tumblr.com (They're such a cute couple btw y'all should def go follow them both) Apologies for the cliffhanger ending, but I'm wicked tired tonight and probably won't update until tomorrow or the next day. But hey at least I'm using grammar in the notes now.


	7. Chapter 7

Jake woke up only an instant before his face met the ground. A choked cry bled from between his lips only just before the world slammed to a halt as his body thumped down, a spiderweb crack appearing in one of the lenses on his glasses. Freed from the tendrils of sleep, he pushed himself up and with a quiet exhale, he focused on the halo above his head and called his sword, the golden blade appearing in his hands. Though it was difficult to see through the cracks in his glasses, Jake leaned forward onto his toes and bent his knees, taking a fast step forward and diving into the middle of the fight between the three demons.

He fought side-by side with Dirk, the battle silent except for a peal like the sound of ringing bells as Jake's sword met time and time again with the twisted, black metal of the two demon's blades. He concentrated of Dave, Dirk facing Bro, and pressed him back with swing after vicious swing, until he had the younger demon back against the wall of the cabin. Twisting his sword deftly, Jake barely saw the flash of fear that crossed the demon's face as he spun the sword out of Dave's hand. He reached up without looking and caught the weapon in his hand, ignoring the clanging of metal on metal as the two elder demons fought behind him. Through the red haze filling his mind, he saw Dave press himself flat against the cabin's wood wall, pressing his palms to the wood. His mouth, taunt in a frown before, flattened out and his face became an unreadable mask. Jake crossed the swords in front of the blonde and growled out at him, his words deep and resonating. "Why are you here?"

It was more of a demand than a question, and instead of providing an answer, the corners of the demon's mouth curled up into a smirk that pushed Jake over the edge. "Tell me!" he snarled, his voice gaining an almost erethreal quality, echoing and harsh, Jake's eyes lighting with a golden fire within. "Tell me or I'll kill you!" The demon only smirked more. His words, spoken softly as they were, had a dark, twisted tone behind them, and Jake saw a tiny flash from Dave's palm only miliseconds before the entire wall behind him was ablaze with tongues of flame. He leapt backwards and crashed into Bro, knocking the taller demon onto Dirk, who promptly fell over. Jake scrambled up and he blinked back the sudden, harsh light of the fire and in a moment of clarity, everything slowed down.

Jake looked at the world through crystal-clear eyes, his glasses long ago discarded in the fight. Golden light blazed inside the glass orbs of his eyes, and his wings spread open, tendrils of the same golden haze inside his eyes creeping out, curling into the air. He stood tall and slammed his hands out in front of him, as if shutting a door, and almost instantly, a wave of golden light exploded from his hands, the flames sizzling out as they met the aura. As suddenly as it had appeared, the light was gone, and Jake, his entire body glowing with an unearthly light, rose up into the air, his eyes gone and replaced by twin orbs of golden flame. He turned his head and looked at Dirk, a tiny bit of green flame flickering in the twin suns, before turning back to the two demons that had inched together, their bodies moving as if through thick molasses.

He raised one hand, the fingers curled slightly, and two tendrils of light extended and touched to the forehead of each demon. Almost instantly, both of them cringed away, their limbs stiffening and eyes going wide. Jake visualized, in his head, the young Heir to the Heavens, and sent the image to the two. Dave reeled backwards and ever-so-slowly crashed to the ground, eyes open but body slack. Bro simply stood there, a statue in the angel's light. Jake lowered his hand and his feet touched back down, his wings folding back down against his back. Time sped up and before he could blink, the two elder demons were gone.

Jake turned to Dirk and smiled weakly before blackness overtook his vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just like baddass Jake okay. This was kinda short?? Anyways, yeah. uwu


	8. Chapter 8

The inky blackness that Jake found himself in was almost a comfort. Along with it came numbness, of mind and body, numbness to the tempest of emotions that he saw, rather than felt, raging about him. The colors of emotions ran together, blurred and muddled-up. He watched in silence as the bright yellows and oranges spun around the rich reds and greens, the inky purples and blues mixed in with the others. It was quite fascinating to watch, Jake decided. Wrapped up in the silence, he felt almost nothing, the faint tangles of emotions swirling in the would-be blackness the only thing he could discern, apart from a gentle throb in the back corners of his mind. The throbbing, more of a steady beat now, didn't so much hurt as it did confuse the angel. If he was back Here, then shouldn't he be feeling nothing? Nothing at all, like the fog that crept in through the cracks in his mind, slowing his thoughts to crawl around his mind like exhausted snails.

The fog slowly reached out with gnarled hands, calling his name with an enticing seduction, the drifting tendrils rolling towards him like the tiny ripples on a pond, after one has thrown a stone. Jake found himself welcoming the fog in, the white nothingness wrapping itself around him. The colors around him paled, their hues growing washed-out and thin. Their swirling slowed, and Jake's mind started to fade. No longer was he concious of what was happening, but somehow he knew on a deeper level that this wasn't right, he needed to go back, to fight off the fog for a reason that he couldn't quite remember.

The fog slowly came back into focus, and Jake clawed it away from himself, his body lighting on fire with the sudden feeling. The angel tore at his body, trying to rid himself of the fog, the white, the numbness, the _nothing_. Red-hot tears squeezing from his eyes, he stumbled forward into the murky darkness and collapsed, his mind pounding at the void, the prison, until even the slightest of thoughts hurt, and even then he struggled weakly to just wake up, to open his eyes and breathe the air that no longer flooded his lungs, to smile and laugh and just be out of the blackness that plagued him.

It seemed ages before Jake had the strength to think again, and even then his thoughts were feeble and flimsy, shattering if he stayed on them too long. With limbs of brittle glass, he stood up and looked around, the darkness so thick it seemed tangible, as if it were something that he could reach out and take hold of. Ever-so-faintly, he heard his name echo out into the darkness, from where Jake couldn't tell. The very sound was like liquid quicksilver in his veins, fueling his hope once again and fanning the flames in his heart up, until he was able to yell back. He shouted and screamed, the words bouncing back at him and creating a horrible calamity, but to no avail. The voice called out every now and then, as if Jake hadn't been screaming at it.

His breath came in heaving gasps, and he doubled over, clutching his stomach as silent tears streamed down his face. As he crouched there, silently sobbing, he was struck by an idea. He remembered his father's words to him, the night of the fire, the last night he had seen his family.

_"Remember, Jake. Even in your darkest time, there will always be a light inside."_

So Jake closed his eyes and slowed his breath, sinking down to the ground. He folded his hands together and sank deep into his mind, finding a tiny, guttering light. With almost impossible speed, he fanned this light into a roaring blaze, and when his eyes flew open, he gasped for air.

Jake English had made it out of There.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm writing anymore but yeah hopefully soon Jake will stop passing out and I can get to the actual intended plot and baddassery of this fic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhh it took me forever to find muse for this chapter gomen. no more sads from here on out, hopefully!

Jake's eyes opened wide, and the world flew into focus around him. His wings, cramped beneath his body, hummed with energy, and a tingling sped along his arms and legs, fizzling into his fingertips. His world was thrown into a golden light, as his eyes formed into puddling suns, his very being itself thrumming with vibrant light and power. All too soon, it faded away, leaving Jake feeling empty and hollowed-out, his brain battered and worn but at the same time sharp and agile, awakened by the pure heavenly power that had run like liquid fire inside his veins mere moments ago. His lips parted and he drew in a sharp breath, the air like a knife to his stinging lungs, the last clinging remnants of the fog tearing away from his mind. In only a split-second, had all of this occurred, and Jake gasped for breath, time sped back to normal, Dirk's head rising from his chest.

The demon blinked away tears from the corners of his eyes, and he stared down at his angelic counterpart for what seemed like an eternity, a tempest of unsaid words, silent gestures, and swirling emotions filling the air between them. All at once, Dirk's arms wrapped around Jake, lifting his torso off the ground that he laid on, his wings stinging as they stretched out. Their lips met in an explosion of heat and passion, an uncoordinated, sloppy kiss that all-too-well expressed everything that they'd wanted to say to each other in the century since they last met. Jake's lips parted slightly and Dirk's name slipped into his mouth, a near-silent exhale that brought everything to a halt. Dirk pulled away a tiny bit, resting his forehead against the angel's, their eyes meeting and speaking a thousand words that never could've been spoken out loud. One of the demon's hands rose up and cupped Jake's cheek, his thumb rubbing slow circles across his cheekbone, the angel ever-so-slightly leaning his head against the hand that he had missed for so long.

Dirk turned his head to the side and Jake's eyes slipped shut, their lips once again meeting, but this time in a slow, languid kiss that lit the ends of the angel's nerves on fire. Jake's arms snake around Dirk's back, pulling himself towards the demon, his back arching. One of Dirk's arms circles around the small of Jake's back, supporting him, and the other tangles into his hair, fingers twisted in the strands and pulling just enough to send tiny shivers down Jake's spine, his wings fluttering as his heart pounds in his ears. The tip of Dirk's tongue traces the angel's bottom lip, light as a feather, and when his lips part, Dirk grows more forceful, pressing Jake to him, tongue exploring Jake's mouth with a fervor that sent delicious tinglings and shivers straight to his groin. Unable to keep it in, a small gasp slips from Jake's mouth and Dirk swallows it, taking Jake's lip between his teeth and biting down on it softly, causing the angel to inhale sharply and give a soft, drawn-out groan. Jake arches his back and presses himself as close as he can get to the demon, hips twitching up as he tries to meet Dirk's kisses with an intensity of his own. Dirk senses Jake's change in pace and rolls him forward, pressing his back against the ground the two lay on, hunching over the angel as his legs curled around Dirk's hips, drawing him as close as he could, an almost constant stream of soft, breathy moans and gasps zipping straight to the fire in the demon's gut. 

Dirk's lips pull away from Jake's, and he ignores the soft sounds of protest the angel makes and instead bows his head, nipping at the sensitive skin of his neck, rubbing the flat of his tongue briefly against the bitten skin, before latching on to a patch on his collarbone, sucking it into his mouth and rolling it between his teeth in such a way that has Jake arching his back up again and filling the air with tiny whimpers and high-pitched whines. Dirk laps softly at the rapidly-appearing hickey for a moment before moving his head again and nibbling on the shell of Jake's ear, the angel whimpering a soft plea and rolling his hips up against the demon's. Dirk snakes a hand down and holds Jake's hips in place, growling into his ear to "Stay." Immediately, Jake stills, his breathing quickening but the noises halting. 

Lips pressed against Jake's ear, Dirk whispers in a low tone, "I said stay, not be quiet. I want to hear you." He digs his fingers into the angel's hip and smirks at the squeak he gets in response. "D-Dirk, I -" Jake mumbles, his words getting cut off by Dirk pressing his lips into his, the words leaving him in favor of a quiet moan, and despite his best efforts not to move, his hips twitch upwards. Dirk raises his head and quirks an eyebrow, Jake only now meeting his eyes to notice that his shades were elsewhere. Jake whimpers a soft, apology and Dirk smirks again, rolling off the angel and laying next to him on the hard wooden floor. Jake makes a soft keening noise and Dirk touches the angel's hand with one of his own. "Easy there, English. Don't wanna get too carried away now, after all you just woke up from being nearly dead."

Jake makes no reply, and instead rolls onto his side, Dirk mimicking the action and pressing his back softly against the angel's folded wings. After only a moment, Jake tenses up and arches his back outwards, his arm twitching, and Dirk supresses a chuckle, knowing exactly what was going on a mere six inches from him. Though the angel makes no sound, Dirk knows exactly when he climaxes, his body tensing up and a trembling shiver rolling through his body, carrying with it a long, drawn-out breath. A few minutes later, his breathing evens out and Dirk stands up, stretching his limbs and cracking his knuckles softly, walking over to the bed on silent feet and grabbing a pillow and the neatly-folded duvet from the foot, pushing half of the pillow under Jake's head and draping the duvet over him. Dirk quickly crawls under it and curls up against Jake, spooning him, one arm pushed under his own head and the other wrapped around the angel's torso. He lays like this, mind drifting, until Jake sluggishly rolls over and clings to him, looking at him with dewy, half lidded green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like cockblocking Jake is totally something Dirk would do though let's be honest


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's short and I regret nothing

For a moment, all Dirk can do is stare at Jake, his mussed hair, curly in the front and spiked-up in the back from laying down on it, his face, rounded yet at the same time elegant and graceful, and his eyes, which Dirk considered the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen. On the surface, they were emerald-green, scattered through with tiny flecks of gold and brown that lit up and sparkled when Jake laughed, but if you looked deeper, really looked, behind his eyes there were two pools that lead to a mirror-still lake, shot through with all colors of the sunset resting just on its lip, hundreds of silver fish darting around, throwing glittering sparks up to the cloudless sky overhead. It was in Jake's eyes that Dirk found peace, and he knew that he could stay lost in the angel's gaze for hours and hours without a care. 

"Dirk..." Jake whispered, drawing the spellbound demon closer, "It's been far too long, old chap." Dirk couldn't help but allow a huge grin to spread across his face. "I agree." He says in a soft voice, wiggling an arm under the angel and pulling him as close as he possibly could, wrapping his other arm over him. Jake smiled and curled up against his lover's chest, their legs tangled, his eyes shut but his mind speeding at a thousand miles an hour. He laid there silently, his breathing timed with Dirk's, waiting for the demon to fall asleep. As soon as Dirk's breathing stilled, Jake twitched his faux-asleep limbs and rolled over loosely, forcing himself to lay still and breathe evenly until he was sure that Dirk was sound asleep. On silent feet, he pushed himself up and crept towards the small desk in the corner, easing open the drawer and pulling out the materials he had left there so long ago - the thin but yet sturdy paper and the ink pen. He slid the drawer shut as silently as he could and tiptoed to the fire, easing his body down until he sat cross-legged right in front of the fire. He uncapped the pen and stuck the end in his mouth, creasing his brow as he searched his mind for the words that he would write. He blinked once, twice, three times, and the words came to him. He put the tip of the pen to the paper and began to write at a furious pace, ever so often looking back at Dirk to make sure he hadn't awoken.

_Dirk,_  
If you're reading this then I'm gone. Please don't try to find me. I came back to Earth on a specific mission, and I need to complete that. I can't risk getting caught with you again, I was lucky they gave me a second chance. This time, they'll take my wings. I love you, and I'm so sorry that we had to meet, but at the same time I'm glad. I'm glad I got to see you again, because who knows if they'd ever trust me to come back down again? After all, those months we spent together so long ago were and still are my best memories, the ones I think about to fall asleep at night. I must keep this short, since I haven't got much time. After I complete my mission, I'll return back Up, and I will most likely stay there for a while. My mission is of no concern to you, and after you've read this, it should be nearly completed. I'm so, so sorry things had to end this way, old chap, but it was either this or risk losing my wings and being locked away in the Black again, and I'd like to avoid that at all costs. I'm rambling again. Anyways, I've given your brothers a mental image of where John is, what they decide to do with him is neither my concern nor yours, as I'm sure that they can work something out. I love you. Please don't beat yourself up about this, even though I know you will. I'm doing this out of love for you, and I wish you the best.  
Love of a thousand suns,  
Jake 

He blinked back tears and sniffled softly, wiping away the dampness on his cheeks with the back of his hand. He replaced the cap on the pen, stood up, and walked back to the desk. He slid the drawer open and placed the pen inside, making every effort to stay as silent as the moon that floated in the pitch-dark sky. He shut the drawer and dropped the note on the desk, turning back and looking down at Dirk, who lay sprawled on the floor in the same position that he had been in when Jake started writing. He looked down at the demon silently, tears brimming in his eyes. Before they could spill, he leaned down and pressed a feather-soft kiss to Dirk's forehead, then stood up and walked towards the door, slowly turning the knob and easing it open. Feet in the doorway, he looked over his shoulder one last time, reaching a hand up to wipe away the tears that ran down his cheeks. For a moment he stood still, silhouetted by the moonlight, his wings catching and refracting a tiny bit of the light, their feathers seemingly glowing golden, like the halo of effervescent light that wavered in and out of sight above Jake's head, its figure rippling and wavering like the reflection on a puddle. He took a breath and filled his lungs with the warm air inside the cabin, then turned back outside and without another moment of hesitation, disappeared into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said the sads were over and I lied. I'm sorry. Not really.

**Author's Note:**

> written for (and based off their au's): dersekingdom.tumblr.com  
> my writing blog is: frivolous-necessities.tumblr.com


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